All things Knotts Berry Farm

[PiratesMansion]

I hadn’t been planning a trip but if after they work out the kinks in a few weeks things go smoothly I might seriously consider taking a day off on a Friday.

What a pleasant experience Fridays and Saturdays would be if this policy were enforced. Hope other parks take a look at this as a precautionary measure. And that they consider extending this to fright fest.

I know that parks like Lake Winnie and Kentucky Kingdom have or have had similar policies in place. Haven't heard anything negative happening within the park since those were put in place, so I'm assuming they worked as intended!

 

[Consumer]

I feel bad for high schoolers who use Knott’s a hang out spot with their friends. I understand why this is being done, but my sympathies still go out to them.

 

[D.Silentu]

I feel bad for high schoolers who use Knott’s a hang out spot with their friends.

Not having grown up in Southern California, using a theme park as a regular hang out seems so odd. I'm curious if anyone here did so and what that was like.

 

[SuddenStorm]

Not having grown up in Southern California, using a theme park as a regular hang out seems so odd. I'm curious if anyone here did so and what that was like.

I lived 10 minutes from Magic Mountain, and went there regularly with friends or family from 5th grade until I was 18. Especially in Jr. high. I worked there from 16-18 years old, so I went far less often as a guest. Six Flags sort of falls out of fashion for teens in Santa Clarita in high school.

My senior year of high school my friend group had Disneyland annual passes and went every other week or so after school on Fridays, and if we had a full day we'd do the occasional rope drop to close.

As long as the teens aren't obnoxious I think it's great for them to be at a theme park hanging out- especially with '80s mall culture effectively dead. It's far better than online video games or tv.

 

[BuzzedPotatoHead89]

Not having grown up in Southern California, using a theme park as a regular hang out seems so odd. I'm curious if anyone here did so and what that was like.

From ages around ages 15-18 my friends and I had an annual pass to Magic Mountain and probably went every month or so. I even remember getting dropped off before I had a license. Of course soon thereafter the appeal of back to back stomach churning coasters loses its luster.

But it’s a different time now. Knott’s made the wise move here to protect the vast majority of their guests and hopefully help repair their reputation.

If even a small segment of today’s teens value TikTok trends over the safety of themselves and others then I think this move is more than appropriate.

 

[Stevek]

Here is the policy
View attachment 654509

Unfortunate but necessary.

 

[Stevek]

Not having grown up in Southern California, using a theme park as a regular hang out seems so odd. I'm curious if anyone here did so and what that was like.

I have always thought it's a bit odd for anyone to be at the parks on a very regular basis (multiple times a week). Seems like it's exactly what Disney was trying to limit with the reservation system but I still see youtubers popping into my feed that appear to be there at least 5 days a week. I don't get the allure, I don't understand limiting oneself to being consumed by Disney or any other addiction...it really is an addiction for many. But ultimately, people just gonna do their thing.

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

Not having grown up in Southern California, using a theme park as a regular hang out seems so odd. I'm curious if anyone here did so and what that was like.

I went to high school/college within an hour of Lagoon amusement park in Utah and we went there pretty regularly during the summer. There was even trains and buses so parents could drop their kids off at the station in SLC if the kids didn’t have a license/car yet. I think if you live close to an amusement park, and have annual passes, meeting up with your friends at the park is a pretty common thing in a lot of states.

 

[D.Silentu]

Thanks to all for the stories and recollections, I appreciate hearing about your experiences! The closest I can relate is that I went to college near enough to the Disneyland to go often and annual passes were affordable to someone that age at the time. Of course, I could only get away as often as my classes and studies allowed.

 

[PiratesMansion]

To me, going to theme parks whenever isn't that weird/big of a deal.

What's odd TO ME is going into a theme park for no other reason other than to grab a meal. Even a park with good food! It just seems like a hassle to park, go to the gate, go through security, go through the turnstiles, and then finally the Restaurant itself. And all that for food that is likely worse and more expensive than what you could get at a typical restaurant outside the park!

But different strokes for different folks I suppose.

 

[Phroobar]

To me, going to theme parks whenever isn't that weird/big of a deal.

What's odd TO ME is going into a theme park for no other reason other than to grab a meal. Even a park with good food! It just seems like a hassle to park, go to the gate, go through security, go through the turnstiles, and then finally the Restaurant itself. And all that for food that is likely worse and more expensive than what you could get at a typical restaurant outside the park!

But different strokes for different folks I suppose.

It helps if you have the food pass. I go to Knott's, have dinner and watch a band or two. I might go on the mine car ride or Beary Tales and go home. It's nice not having to pay for anything all year long.


The age restrictions are a great policy. Knott's won't be used for babysitting anymore. Maybe the lines will be shorter now.

 

[PiratesMansion]

It helps if you have the food pass. I go to Knott's, have dinner and watch a band or two. I might go on the mine car ride or Beary Tales and go home. It's nice not having to pay for anything all year long.


The age restrictions are a great policy. Knott's won't be used for babysitting anymore. Maybe the lines will be shorter now.

For me it comes down to opportunity cost as well. If Knott's food is free, that's great, but if it takes me ~30 minutes to get to the restaurant I choose to eat at in the park because of parking and all the logistics involved in entering a theme park, that might negate the price of the food for me. Instead of investing that time to eat at the park, I could have gone to a fast food restaurant, paid, and eaten in a much shorter amount of time.

It's like those people who will drive 30 minutes to get cheaper gas instead of just going to the more expensive station right by their home. Sure, technically the gas 30 min away is cheaper, but you're also spending a lot more gas to get to the cheaper station than the one close to you, thus at least somewhat negating the savings.

For me, I'd rather pay the monetary investment instead of the time investment, but YMMV.

 

[Mickey's Pal]

Very happy to hear about the new program from Knott's but it needs to be 7 days a week especially during summer but it is a nice start and shows they took this weekend's past eventd seriously.

 

[el_super]

But but I was told that Knott's was just going to do nothing because they suck at everything so much and that even though they were Cedar Fair's most highly attended and one of their most profitable parks, they were going to be sold off and closed!!!!!111

This new policy might be a good start, but it doesn't mean anything if Knott's doesn't spend the money to hire more security and retrain all their employees. Even then, I doubt this policy will lead anywhere as it is nearly impossible to determine the age of a minor and aside from getting verbal confirmation from a teen that they are "over 17", not much else they can do to enforce it.

From a PR standpoint though, Knott's had to do something, and they know that there is another take-over event being planned already. They're probably hoping this policy changes on its own, will discourage a lot of kids from coming down there. We will have to see if that turns out to be true.

Either way this will end up costing them a lot of money. Even if they decide to go the cheap route and not hire more security employees, and but the entire burden of enforcement on the poor teenager standing at Fiesta PC, if the policy change on its own, results in fewer pass sales, that could wreak havoc on their budget planning and potentially their long term future.

Its sort of a weird theme park conundrum. If the image of the park is hurt and fewer people want to go, lowering the prices to entice more visitors shouldn't always be the answer.

 

[Phroobar]

This new policy might be a good start, but it doesn't mean anything if Knott's doesn't spend the money to hire more security and retrain all their employees. Even then, I doubt this policy will lead anywhere as it is nearly impossible to determine the age of a minor and aside from getting verbal confirmation from a teen that they are "over 17", not much else they can do to enforce it.

From a PR standpoint though, Knott's had to do something, and they know that there is another take-over event being planned already. They're probably hoping this policy changes on its own, will discourage a lot of kids from coming down there. We will have to see if that turns out to be true.

Either way this will end up costing them a lot of money. Even if they decide to go the cheap route and not hire more security employees, and but the entire burden of enforcement on the poor teenager standing at Fiesta PC, if the policy change on its own, results in fewer pass sales, that could wreak havoc on their budget planning and potentially their long term future.

Its sort of a weird theme park conundrum. If the image of the park is hurt and fewer people want to go, lowering the prices to entice more visitors shouldn't always be the answer.

You forgot the part about human sacrifices, dogs and cats living together and mass hysteria.

The information on the annual pass includes the person's birthdate. It even shows up at the gate. I've been wished a happy birthday at the gate when I show up on my birthday. Disneyland also does this.

 

[el_super]

You forgot the part about human sacrifices, dogs and cats living together and mass hysteria.

The information on the annual pass includes the person's birthdate. It even shows up at the gate. I've been wished a happy birthday at the gate when I show up on my birthday. Disneyland also does this.

So the new policy only applies to Season Pass holders?

 

[Parteecia]

For me it comes down to opportunity cost as well. If Knott's food is free, that's great, but if it takes me ~30 minutes to get to the restaurant I choose to eat at in the park because of parking and all the logistics involved in entering a theme park, that might negate the price of the food for me. Instead of investing that time to eat at the park, I could have gone to a fast food restaurant, paid, and eaten in a much shorter amount of time.

It's like those people who will drive 30 minutes to get cheaper gas instead of just going to the more expensive station right by their home. Sure, technically the gas 30 min away is cheaper, but you're also spending a lot more gas to get to the cheaper station than the one close to you, thus at least somewhat negating the savings.

For me, I'd rather pay the monetary investment instead of the time investment, but YMMV.

But in his case it also includes entertainment. Back in my working and premium pass days I would meet a friend at DL at least once a week. Pay for dinner, listen to the DL or college band, maybe go on rides, just absorb the atmosphere. It was worth the extra time and effort to feel I had a mini vacation, even with the meal cost not included.

 

[PiratesMansion]

This new policy might be a good start, but it doesn't mean anything if Knott's doesn't spend the money to hire more security and retrain all their employees. Even then, I doubt this policy will lead anywhere as it is nearly impossible to determine the age of a minor and aside from getting verbal confirmation from a teen that they are "over 17", not much else they can do to enforce it.

From a PR standpoint though, Knott's had to do something, and they know that there is another take-over event being planned already. They're probably hoping this policy changes on its own, will discourage a lot of kids from coming down there. We will have to see if that turns out to be true.

Either way this will end up costing them a lot of money. Even if they decide to go the cheap route and not hire more security employees, and but the entire burden of enforcement on the poor teenager standing at Fiesta PC, if the policy change on its own, results in fewer pass sales, that could wreak havoc on their budget planning and potentially their long term future.

Its sort of a weird theme park conundrum. If the image of the park is hurt and fewer people want to go, lowering the prices to entice more visitors shouldn't always be the answer.

If they're 18 they presumably have some kind of government ID, whether or not it's a driver's license or state ID. IDs of those under 18 (at least in IL) are oriented differently than those over 18. As stated above, if they're an AP, the park knows their birthrate. It's not going to be at all difficult for the park to enforce, assuming they are actually do it, it's just a matter of asking for ID. If they don't have some kind of ID on them proving their age I could see some people who might look younger being denied entry on occasion, but that would be on them for leaving for the park without ID. To me it's quite straightforward. Maybe they'll be out some money, but I'd bet good money myself that a good number of the underage teens who are regularly dropped off by the truckload have APs. Those teens, if they are to be pitied, can still easily do exactly what they've been doing 5/7 days of the week. I don't think the park is that concerned about being out money-they've probably gotten those teens' money anyway through the AP. I'm sure they aren't making that much off of these teens with food and merch anyway.

But yeah, enforcing this policy is all the park needs to do. That's really it. I don't think they're in quite the situation you believe they are. Heck, apparently there was a fight at Magic Kingdom a few days ago, in addition to other incidents I've mentioned earlier in thread. It is no longer a situation where you can assume something about the quality of park if fights break out, this is literally happening everywhere. Perhaps we can make societal commentary about that, but it's clear that price, prestige, or "clientele" (and all other potentially loaded descriptors people choose to use) no longer make a difference on where fights will break out among parks. It's happening everywhere. This policy is a very sensible and effective way to deal with it.

But in his case it also includes entertainment. Back in my working and premium pass days I would meet a friend at DL at least once a week. Pay for dinner, listen to the DL or college band, maybe go on rides, just absorb the atmosphere. It was worth the extra time and effort to feel I had a mini vacation, even with the meal cost not included.

Fair enough in that case, but I remember seeing on here at some point that some person, and it may have been a newspaper article someone else linked to in all honesty, made a habit of going into I believe Magic Mountain literally to go in, eat, and leave. THAT I don't get.

 

[Parteecia]

Wasn't there a time when DL was obviously used for babysitting and many people were upset about it? Did DL do anything about it?

 

[Stevek]

At least this stuff doesn't happen at Disn...oops. They should have all been kicked out (if they weren't) and the sucker punch at :25 in apparently landed her in jail. This was apparently the second fight at WDW this week. (NSFW)